Research Summer School

NARRATIVES AS RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION TOOLS: AN APPLICATION TO ACADEMIA

 Call for Participation

Research Summer School — Tbilisi, Georgia

June 22-26, 2026

We are pleased to invite applications for the Summer School of the Narrative Research Network established by the Education Research Centre (Ilia State University), the Cultural and Social Anthropology Research Center (Ilia State University) and the Laboratory Histoire des technosciences en société – HT2S (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers).

It will take place from June 22 to June 26, 2026, with financial support of the French Georgian University.

Overview

Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

Duration: 5 days

Participants:

·       15 MA and PhD students (approximately 7-8 from France, 7-8 from Georgia)

·       6-8 professors (approximately 3-4 from France, 3-4 from Georgia)

Disciplines: Social sciences (such as Education, Anthropology, History)

Languages: Georgian, French, English

About

How do we tell stories about the places where knowledge is created? This innovative summer school brings together MA and PhD students from European and Georgian universities to explore academic spaces — universities, libraries… — through the lens of narrative. Combining hands-on fieldwork, and AI-assisted creative writing and translation, participants will develop new ways of understanding and communicating academic life while building an international research community.

What You’ll Do

·       Conduct fieldwork in Tbilisi’s academic spaces

·       Write individual narratives in your native language

·       Experiment AI-assisted narrative creation and collective translation and reflect critically on the process of cross-linguistic knowledge transfer

·       Co-create collective narratives in interdisciplinary teams

·       Contribute to the ongoing design of an open-access digital repository on higher education for researchers globally.

Why Join

Innovative methodology: Learn cutting-edge approaches to narrative research and translation

Interdisciplinary and intercultural exchange: Work with students from other geographic and disciplinary backgrounds

International network: Build lasting connections with scholars from European and Georgian universities

Publish your work: Your narratives will be featured in an open-access repository

Program Overview

Day 1: Introduction and Fieldwork Immersion

A panel discussion will bring together various social science perspectives on narratives as research and communication tools. Following collaborative planning, participants will form interdisciplinary fieldwork groups and conduct initial visits to assigned research sites.

Day 2: Individual Narratives and Translation

Participants will craft individual narratives in their native languages based on fieldwork observations, and experiment with AI-assisted storytelling and translation tools, while critically reflecting on linguistic nuance and cross-cultural knowledge transfer.

Day 3: Disciplinary Perspectives and Methodological approaches

Three masterclasses, guest speaker presentations and informal discussions will deepen methodological and theoretical understanding of narrative creation, as well as the new publication challenges.

Day 4: Collective Narrative Creation

Following a methodological workshop on collaborative narrative construction and polyvocal ethnography, teams will synthesize individual narratives into collective accounts and make public presentations, followed by discussion and peer feedback.

Day 5: Synthesis and Wrap-up

A guided walking tour of Tbilisi’s old city district will illustrate narrative creation in practice through live observation and spatial analysis. The program will conclude with a reflective workshop and the formal launch of the open-access digital repository where all the narratives produced will be included and made publicly available.

Who Should Apply

This summer school is designed for advanced students and young scholars in social sciences (such as anthropology, education, history) who are interested in innovative research methodologies, cross-cultural collaboration, and creative approaches to knowledge communication.

Proficiency in English is required, as the summer school’s working language will be English and will notably include a critical analysis of AI assisted translation.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this summer school, participants will be able to:

·       Apply narrative methodologies to explore and analyze academic spaces from interdisciplinary perspectives (education, anthropology, history)

·       Conduct embedded ethnographic fieldwork in university settings

·       Create individual narratives in their native languages that capture various dimensions of academic life

·       Critically engage with AI-assisted translation processes and reflect on cross-linguistic knowledge transfer

·       Collaboratively construct collective narratives that synthesize multiple perspectives

·       Contribute to an open-access repository of narratives for future research and pedagogical use

Eligibility

The Summer School is open to:

·       Master’s students

·       PhD candidates and post‑docs

·       Early‑career faculty

We welcome applications from students based in Georgia, the broader Caucasus region, and Europe.

Financial Support

There is no tuition fee.

Financial support is available and may include full or partial travel grants and free accommodation (shared double rooms).

All participants will receive an official certificate upon completion.

Application Process

Please submit the following documents (in English) to Ed.research@iliauni.edu.ge and autumn.school.fgu@gmail.com by April 15, 2026:

1.       Curriculum Vitae

2.       A motivation letter (max. 800 words)

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be notified by April 30, 2026

Organizing committee

·       Eva Bertrand (French Georgian University, Georgia)

·       Elene Jibladze (Ilia State University, Georgia)

·       Karim Medjad – Jean-Claude Ruano-Borbalan (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, France)